actress
Americannoun
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actresses
plural
noun
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a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
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informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others
Usage
Use of the word actress to refer to a female who acts is old-fashioned. The modern gender-neutral form is actor
Gender
What's the difference between actress and actor? See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of actress
Vocabulary lists containing actress
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In August 2026, actress and singer Rumer Willis packed her belongings to begin a new chapter in Nashville.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Unfortunately there is no Oscar category for least convincing actress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The actress is somebody that people she look up to, he said, referring to her as "the gold standard".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Bollywood actress Richa Chadha, meanwhile, offered other tips to avoid detention while filming herself drawing on her face with make-up on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Naw, Miss Carrie, we didn’t see no Shakespeare. But we seen a stage play. The main actress shore was a looker.”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
She got the job over the “more A-list” actresses who Rock says were vying for it, in part because she clearly wanted it so much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega may be one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young actresses, but when it comes to real estate, the 23-year-old has kept a relatively low profile.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
More often than not, we see this with actresses in Hollywood pushing against demanding directors or seeking out more challenging material.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The show is returning with 15 celebrities competing for the glitterball trophy, including Australian singer Delta Goodrem, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, actresses Lacey Turner and Jaime Winstone and Team GB skeleton racer Tabby Stoecker.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
My shoulders don’t create the sharp lines I’ve seen on actresses and models.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
